I may not be a big fan of the last mainline Persona game as most of my colleagues (Persona 4 is my real boo), but I’d have to be a madman if I said I didn’t enjoy its style and didn’t respect the hell out of it. The announcement of Metaphor: ReFantazio was worth piquing my interest right from the getgo: I knew it wouldn’t be THAT different from other Atlus JRPGs (I mean, don’t fix what isn’t broken), but letting the developers come up with some fresh ideas over an estabilished foundation was surely going to be worth experiencing. And now that I’ve played it, yep, it’s exactly that. It might have some issues, and in some regards, it’s not as exciting as, say, Persona 5, but I think that it might actually be the best GAME the Atlus devs have ever crafted. I’ll try to explain that below.

Sure, Metaphor might look like it’s just “Medieval Persona“, but it’s a lot more than that. In some regards, sure, it’s a carbon copy. In other aspects, it deviates from the formula just enough to make it stand out. At the same time, it does fixes some issues I’ve always had with both the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games, especially when it comes to pacing and gameplay. It suffers from some smaller issues in other departments, but all in all, this was a really impressive feat of a game.

I’ll try to be vague with the plot, for two main reasons. The first one is that this is a story-driven experience that’s best enjoyed when you don’t exactly know a lot beforehands, as twists and turns happen frequently, even more so than your average Persona game. It’s more grounded and mature, with a big emphasis on politics, racism, your place in society, corruption, and so on. That’s not to say that Persona or Shin Megami Tensei didn’t tackle sensitive subject matters, but this is no mere “using the power of friendship to slay God”, for instance.

Right from the getgo, you get to notice how broken society is, the racial hierarchy going on, the kinds of prejudice faced by each race, and so on. Everything is coated in a layer of metaphors (yep, now you get the name’s meaning), which are easy enough to understand, but not obvious enough to look ridiculous or condescending. The devs have managed to find a Goldilocks zone that just works. In no moment did I cringe with a silly metaphor or line of dialogue, even when I was fighting against a gigantic beast that’s best described as a mixture between a monster from Attack on Titan and a roast chicken. And believe me, they were able to shove in some slight philosophy into this crap.

The second reason is that… well, this s*** is bananas. Hoo boy, the imagery, the crap that happens onscreen, it’s hard to put everything into words without sounding absolutely ridiculous. There were moments in Metaphor: ReFantazio when I started asking myself on how difficult (or not) it might be to get a hold of psychedelic substances in Japan. There is just no way I would have been able to even think on designing some of the crap happening onscreen otherwise. And I’m not simply talking about the enemy designs, as wild as they can be. Plot points, cutscenes, the overall summary of the story and the reason you’re even playing the damn game, everything is completely crazy. At the same time, oddly believable.

Before playing Metaphor: ReFantazio, I thought that its name was just downright stupid. Yet another case of a Japanese game just randomly using English words to come up with a cool-sounding title, that’s what I used to think. But nope, that’s an actually genius title. The game is basically a parable; it uses bizarre imagery, completely absurd plot points, and the aforementioned roast chicken enemies, to actually tell a story that feels uncomfortably close to home. We are not living in the smoothest of times when it comes to politics and societal issues. I never thought this damn JRPG would showcase some of the best plot tidbits related to 2024’s state of affairs, however.

In the midst of all this, there’s a story about a group of underdogs trying to rally an entire nation towards their cause. Against them, there are two rival factions, one based on religious fanatism, and one led by a deliciously cruel, but actually occasionally relatable (as disgusting as you may feel during these moments) main bad guy, possibly one of the best characters any Atlus game has ever had. This is where the “Political Persona” comparisons come to play: Metaphor‘s main gameplay loop, at least after the mandatory six hour long prologue that feels more like an episode of Game of Thrones, is about convincing a nation to join a cause.

It’s almost as if the game is a metaphor (hey, that’s the name of game again!) to slowly, but surely, convincing a jaded populace to stop thinking about binary politics, and start considering going third party. And how the absolute hell were the developers able to shove in an actual JRPG, with monsters and stuff, into this mess? I have no idea, but they did.

Gameplay-wise, sure, Metaphor: ReFantazio feels a lot like your average Persona game. The combat system is extremely similar, and it’s still based around exploiting weaknesses in order to gain more combat opportunities per turn. Sure thing, not a problem. It wasn’t a big issue in other Atlus JRPGs, so no need to change this successful formula. But there are also some differences that make Metaphor feel more like a traditional JRPG, without actually feeling generic and uninspired.

For instance, you don’t collect monsters/demons to fight for you, Megami Tensei-style. Instead, Metaphor uses something more akin to a Final Fantasy V-esque job system. You can transform your character into a warrior, a monk, a mage, a cleric, and so on. The way you unlock these new jobs is also very straightforward, but fun. You can either evolve your job rank to unlock improved versions of it, or you can improve your bonds with characters in order to to unlock completely new classes. In short, in a very superficial but funny way, you can summarize Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s main loop as “using the power of friendship to unlock new job systems for your fighters”.

Exploring dungeons feels a little bit more straightforward, as well as interesting. In true Paper Mario fashion, if you’re overpowered, you can just use a real-time hack ‘n’ slash command and kill enemies without having to resort to a turn-based round. You can still enter these battles if you want to, just in case, with the press of another button. This expedites exploration and revisiting older areas, whilst making the game feel a bit less grindy. If you want to grind, sure, have at it. If not, you can just pretend this is a Platinum action game, still earning experience from cannon fodder; it’s less XP, but it’s XP nonetheless.

As a result, Metaphor: ReFantazio is probably a better game than any Persona or Shin Megami Tensei I’ve ever played in the past. Gameplay-wise, it feels old but fresh. The pacing is less egregious, without hour-long tutorial sections, and only taking about six hours before fully opening up. In the meantime, you will have unlocked most of the game’s features, recruited allies, fought bosses, and so on. As odd as it may sound, however, I still don’t think this feels as memorable as other games by Atlus. If I had to point out a flaw in this game, and mostly due to personal preferences, is that it’s just not as stylish or interesting to look at / listen to.

Yes, it’s a mere opinion, but I think that Persona games, Persona 5 in particular, oozed more style. Metaphor features an astonishing usage of color and a bit more variety in its dungeon design, but it’s mostly relegated to overly traditional medieval fantasy settings (castle, mines, caves, catacombs, etc.). The main hub town, a mixture of Paris and Victorian London, is impressive to look at, but I’ve noticed a few framerate drops here and there. I appreciate it’s not yet another damn JRPG set in Shibuya, which is now as generic of a setting as your average Dungeons & Dragons clone, but Persona has always managed to make the mundane look interesting, stylish, sexy.

You could see that from that game’s menu designs, loading screens, transitions… even the animation sections after defeating an enemy. Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t have the same pizzazz. I’m not saying it’s ugly – on the contrary, it’s a downright gorgeous game, even if it stutters at times. I’m just saying that it feels just a tad bit safer.

I guess the same can be said about the sound design. First of all, let me clarify that the voice acting in Metaphor: ReFantazio is out-freaking-standing, with not a single character, as menial as they can be, sounding amateurish. My goodness, each and every performance is magnificent, and I hope the voice actors win each and every industry award they possibly can. There isn’t a single irritating character – even the fairy, who’s supposed to be this game’s equivalent to Teddy or the annoying cat, is wonderfully voiced. But then there’s the music.

Again, this is just a matter of taste, so lower your pitchforks. Whilst the music isn’t bad per se (it’s fully orchestrated, and sounds epic when it needs to), it’s just not as memorable. There’s something about the Persona soundtracks that just clicked with me right away – to this day, the Persona 5 victory fanfare tune is possibly my favorite song ever to play on my bass. It was different from everything else in the market. A mixture of jazz, pop punk, alternative, J-Pop, all condensed in pure musical joy.

Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s soundtrack… is not that. It’s really well-composed, and it’s fully orchestrated, but I don’t know, it just doesn’t hit as hard. It might be because orchestrated music in a fantasy-themed game isn’t uncommon. Hell, not even that uncommon to see that in a Japanese game released in 2024, just look at Dragon’s Dogma 2. And there’s the issue with the battle theme, which might actually be my main issue with the game in general, and possibly my only true point of criticism with it as a whole.

Why am I focusing so much on a single battle theme? Well, this is a JRPG, and you tend to hear a lot of those tunes. This one is weird, at the very least. It starts off quite decently, with an orchestrated crescendo, and then some chants begin. What the hell was that crap? The best way I can describe it is that a drunken Japanese uncle with Tourette’s is stuttering halfway through that tune. It feels absolutely out of place, and got on my nerves quickly. The weird yodeling also shows up during boss battle themes, but there’s so much voice acting in these sections, you’ll pay less attention to the yodels.

It irritated me beyond belief, that I do have to admit it is a minor issue. In no moment I complained about Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s gameplay or pacing, for instance. It was even a fantastic fit for my newly acquired Asus ROG Ally. I mainly reviewed Metaphor on a normal PC, but I did have a crack with it on this neat little portable, looking great at 720p or 900p, with high visual settings and decent performance. It’s a great fit no matter the circumstance, as the improved pacing and fast-paced exploration work great on a portable.

It might not be as charming, stylish, or memorable as Persona, but Metaphor: ReFantazio plays better than any other JRPG made by Atlus I can remember. In terms of writing, I can safely say that this is one of the most interesting and engaging plots in any JRPG, ever, even if, at first, it feels like its premise won’t ever make sense. It’s a bit shorter and its pacing is a tad bit more concise, making it more accessible and replayable. Finally, add in a fantastic combat system, and what you have here is a bonafide hit. More than just “Political Persona” or “Medieval Persona“, it’s yet another brand new pillar in Atlus’ portfolio of acclaimed RPGs, and easily one of the best games of the year.

Graphics: 8.5 It looks quite nice, with a striking color pallette and visual variety, but it lacks the overall sense of style seen in other Atlus JRPGs.	Gameplay: 9.5 Though pretty similar to Persona in terms of its combat and exploration, it’s a bit more streamlined. Some slight reductions in the life sim aspect of things, favoring a faster, more focused combat system.
Sound: 8.5 Though fully orchestrated, and featuring some downright spectacular voice acting, the battle theme (one you’ll be hearing constantly, mind you) is really bad.	Fun Factor: 9.0 It might not be as charming, stylish, or memorable as Persona, but it plays better than any other JRPG made by Atlus I can remember. It’s a bit shorter, which improves its pace. Add in fun combat and a neat plot, and what you have here is a bonafide hit.
Final Verdict: 9.0

Metaphor: ReFantazio is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB and Asus ROG Ally.